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A STATEMENT  TO  THE  ^ 
PHYSICIANS  AND 
SURGEONS  OF  THE 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL 
CHURCH  :::::: 


BY  THE  REV.  J.  H.  PYKE 


BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
China  Centennial  Commission 
150  Fifth  Avenue 
New  York 


WESTERN  OFFICE 

57  WASHINGTON  STREET,  CHICAGO 
1908 


Medical  Work  in  China 


A Statement  of  Conditions 

APPALLING  China  has  every  known  disease. 

And  because  of  the  vastness  of  the 
Empire  and  the  density  of  the  population,  epi- 
demics in  the  most  malignant  form  sweep  over 
wide  territories  unchecked.  Quarantine  or  isola- 
tion is  unknown.  There  is  no  science  of  physi- 
ology or  anatomy.  There  is  no  knowledge  of 
hygiene  or  sanitation.  There  is  no  study  of  the 
origin  or  causes  of  disease. 

DISEASE  and  When  a Chinese  is  stricken  with 
DEMONS  disease,  the  cause  is  attributed  to 
the  malign  influence  of  evil  spirits,  and  the  most 
potent  remedy  is  supposed  to  be  the  propitiation 
of  these  spirits.  With  much  noise  and  vile  concoc- 
tions an  attempt  is  made  to  dispossess  the  evil 
spirit.  There  are  no  capable  Chinese  physicians 
excepting  those  of  the  missions,  but  the  land  is 
full  of  quacks,  and  the  sick  and  dying  suffer 
greatly  from  the  cruel,  barbarous  practices  of 
these  impostors. 

The  shadow  of  death  from  sickness,  famine, 
and  the  plague  always  hangs  over  the  terrified 
natives.  Having  no  knowledge  of  God  or  of  the 
Redeemer,  no  Christian  faith,  no  Father’s  love, 
no  future  hope,  their  only  comfort  is  the  thought 
that  there  is  no  help,  and  what  is  must  be,  and 
must  be  endured.  The  consolation  of  fatalism 
and  stoicism  is  their  guardian  angel. 


WATER  SUP-  A concrete  case  or  two  will  em- 

phasize  conditions.  Tientsin  is  a 

OPEN  SEWERS  Province  of  Chihli, 

North  China,  having  a population  of  750,000  to 
1,000,000.  This  multitude  get  all  of  their  water 
from  the  Pei  Ho  River  and  Grand  Canal  which 
flow  through  the  city.  As  these  streams  are  the 
open  sewers  for  both  the  city  and  the  large  boat 
population,  the  daily  water  supply  of  these  peo- 
ple is  full  of  the  germs  of  all  manner  of  conta- 
gious diseases. 


The  Lanchow  District  of  the  North  China 
Conference  is  about  as  healthy  as  any  locality  of 
that  part  of  the  Empire.  It  includes  four  large 
cities  on  the  Lan  River,  Lao  Ting,  Lan  Chou, 
Yung  Ping,  Chien  An,  and  many  large  towns 
and  villages.  Contaminated  as  is  the  river  water 
it  is  nevertheless  purer  than  the  water  from  any 
well  in  the  whole  region.  Safety  is  found  only 
in  never  drinking  unboiled  water.  There  is  onl}^ 
one  house  in  the  entire  District  that  an  American 
would  consider  safe  or  healthy  for  his  family. 
Most  of  the  houses,  of  earth  and  thatch,  are  old 
and  germ  infected.  The  floors  are  of  brick  or 
earth  thereby  giving  malaria  a clear  field. 


"WHITE  The  “white  plague,”  or  consump- 

PLAGUE  tion,  is  prevalent  and  deadly 
throughout  China.  As  the  germ  theory  is  un- 
known, no  precaution  is  taken  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  disease.  The  sick  and  the  well 
live  and  sleep  huddled  together  in  poorly  venti- 
lated, and  in  cold  weather  unventilated,  rooms  or 
huts.  The  results  are  apparent.  The  end  of  the 
sufferer  is  hastened  and  victims  are  multi- 
plied. 


GREAT  Our  medical  missionaries  go  forth 

to  counteract  all  this.  Entering 
MENTS  OF  . , , , . , 

MEDICAL  ***  through  the  ministrations  of 

MISSIONARIES  hospitals,  dispensaries  and  coun- 
try medical  evangelistic  work, 
they  disarm  prejudice,  open  doors,  and  win  many 
souls  for  Christ.  They  follow  the  example  of 
the  Master,  who  went  about  doing  good,  and 
stand  for  practical  Christianity  and  the  best  in 
Western  civilization. 

Already  our  physicians  and  surgeons  in  the 
Chinese  Empire  have  accomplished  much,  both 
in  healing  the  sick  and  in  telling  the  Gospel 
story.  Everywhere  doors  have  opened  to  them 
that  have  been  closed  to  evangelist  and  teacher. 
The  opportunities  now  existing  there  for  conse- 
crated medical  skill  are  practically  limitless. 

The  home  Church  has  sent  these  consecrated 
men.  They  are  bearing  our  part  of  the  burden. 
Hear  their  call! 


Messages  from  the  Fields 

WILEY  MEMORIAL  HOSPITAL 

Kucheng,  via  Foochow,  China 

"We  have  but  one  amputating  knife  and  that  has  a 
wooden  handle.  Last  week  I had  to  use  my  pocket  hy- 
podermic syringe  to  inject  antidiptheritic  serum  in  a 
laryngeal  diptheritic  case  because  we  have  not  a single 
serum  syringe.  I have  two  important  cases,  one  is  a 
question  of  tuberculosis,  the  other  of  diphtheria.  Both 
need  a microscopic  examination,  but  I cannot  do  this. 
There  is  an  old  microscope  here,  a cheap  one,  but  it  has 
no  high  power  lens  or  Abbe  condenser.  We  have  no  ster- 
ilizer for  instruments  or  dressings.  No  centrifuge  or 
urinary  test  apparatus  for  urine  examination  and  so  on. 
Brethren,  I plead  for  a fair  chance  to  do  the  work  you 
have  sent  me  out  to  this  far  away  land  to  do.” 

Thomas  H.  Coole,  M.  D. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  HOSPITAL 

Ch'Angli  Hsien,  China. 

"With  about  10,000,000  people,  with  students  and 
helpers  to  train,  with  a hospital  full  all  the  time  (often 
having  30  in-patients),  the  difficult  operating,  all  this 


District  to  itinerate,  all  these  sicknesses  to  heal  anti  souls 
to  save,  sorely  do  1 need  another  Medical  Missionary  as 
colleague,  an  outfit  for  country  work,  and  support  of 
Dispensaries  and  medical  .studentsand  dispensers.” 

Joseph  L.  Keeler,  M.  D. 

JOHN  L.  HOPKINS  MEMORIAL  HOSPITAL 

Peking,  China. 

"Very  little  equipment  has  been  added  to  the  hospi  ■ 
tal  during  the  past  year,  though  we  are  very  much  i>' 
need  of  many  things  in  order  to  get  the  best  results- 
Electrical  apparatus,  in  the  shape  of  batteries  and  an  X- 
ray  machine,  are  badly  needed.  Many  cases  could  be 
much  more  satisfactorily  treated  if  we  had  such  appar- 
atus. The  operating  room,  too,  needs  a very  much  better 
equipment  than  is  now  at  hand. 

Nehemiah  S.  Hopkins.  M.  D. 

George  D.  N.  L )W'ry,  M.  D. 

PHILANDER  SMITH  MEMORIAL  HOSPITAL 

Nanking.  China. 

"The  training  of  nurses,  both  men  and  women,  has 
show'll  some  result,  and  we  liave  tried  to  secure  in  all 
departments  a maximum  of  cleanliness  and  convenience 
for  the  execution  of  daily  duties.  Both  men  and  women 
in  China  have  the  needed  qualities  to  make  good  nurses, 
but  much  time  and  strength  must  necessarily  be  expend- 
ed in  this  training,  because  of  the  different  native  cus- 
toms of  caring  for  the  sick,  which  to  us  seem  almost  no 
care  whatever.” 

Mrs.  Christiana  W.  Hall,  Supt. 

CHUNKING  GENERAL  HOSPITAL 

Chunking.  China. 

“We  are  glad  to  report  an  awakening  among  the 
progressive,  wealthy  Chinese.  This  year  Mr.  Yea,  Mana- 
ger of  China  Merchants,  has  come  forw-ard  and  offered  to 
pay  all  cost  in  vaccinating  the  children  of  the  city  and 
surrounding  country,  and  has  billed  the  city  over  his 
own  name  with  posters  setting  forth  the  advantages  of 
foreign  vaccine  over  the  native,  and  urging  the  people  to 
come  to  us  to  be  vaccinated.  This  man  lias  endowed  a 
bed  by  a gift  of  $500.00.” 

J.  H.  McCartney',  M.  D. 

TAIAN  MEDICAL  WORK 

Taian,  China. 

"They  have  knocked  their  heads  on  each  of  the  six 
tiiousand  stone  steps,  have  climbed  to  the  top  on  their  hands 
and  knees,  and  in  pain  have  kowtow'ed  totheirgods,  only  to 
be  scorned.  The  priests  have  robbed  them,  and  as  a last 
resort  they  come  to  us,  fearing,  perhaps,  that  we  too  will 
treat  them  no'’better.  The.se  cases  are  usually  of  the 
w'orst  type,  and  often  nothing  can  be  done.  Others  that 
might  be  helped  will  not  stay,  being  suspicious  of  us  and 
our  place.  Yet  a few  who  would  not  stay  last  year  for 
operations,  this  year  came  back  and  requested  to  stay  till 
they  are  cured.” 


Charles  E.  Ensign,  M.  D. 


What  Can  Be  Done 


What  can  a medical  missionary  do  at  the 
present  time  in  China?  Give  him  a hospital 
costing  $7,000  to  $10,000  and  like  those  now  la- 
boring on  the  field  he  will — 

DISPENSARY  Prescribe  and  dispense  medicine 
WORK  jjj  dispensaries,  chapels  and  on  the 

streets  to  10,000  people  annuallj',  (some  physi- 
cians with  their  assistants  have  reached  30,000) 
each  of  whom  has  the  opportunity  of  hearing  the 
Gospel  for  an  hour  or  more.  The  preaching  is 
done  while  the  patient  waits  his  turn  for  treat- 
ment. 

HOSPITAL  Take  into  the  hospital  for  opera- 
WORK  treatment  500  patients 

who  remain  two  weeks  on  an  average.  Most  of 
these  are  cured  and  thus  given  a new  lease  of  life 
and  efficiency.  All  hear  the  Gospel  daily,  at- 
tend prayer  meeting,  and  are  talked  to  and 
prayed  with  personally.  Many  are  converted 
and  saved  to  go  out  to  save  others  by  publish- 
ing the  good  news  of  salvation  and  the  beneficent 
works  of  the  “Jesus”  Church. 


MEDICAL  Train  native  assistants  and. 

COLLEGES  with  medical  colleagues  of  other 

missions,  found  medical  colleges.  Peking  has  a 
large  Union  Medical  College  and  other  cities  are 
planning  similar  institutions.  These  prepare 
and  send  out  native  physicians  who  will  do  for 
China  what,  in  one  generation,  Japanese  physi- 
cians have  done  for  the  people,  the  army  and  navy 
of  Japan,  thereby  greatly  lessening  the  sum  total 
of  suffering  and  prolonging  life  and  service. 


LECTURES  Lecture  and  give  addresses  on 
medicine  and  disease;  write  pamphlets  and  tracts 
and  translate  foreign  books  on  sanitary  and  hy- 
gienic truth. 


The  Christian  Physician’s  Opportunity 

To  teach  the  Chinese  how  to  avoid  dis- 
ease and  premature  death,  and  how  to  be  healthy 
strong,  happy  and  useful;  to  lead  them  in  cam- 
paigns of  hygiene  and  sanitation;  to  heal  the 
sick,  to  give  sight  to  the  blind  and  hearing  to 
the  deaf;  to  make  the  lame  walk;  and  to  lead 
immortal  souls  out  of  darkness  into  the  light  of 
Jesus  Christ — this  is  the  opportunity  of  the  con- 
secrated physician  and  surgeon  in  this  land  of 
ignorance  and  disease. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  during  the 
next  twelve  months  ought  to  send  to  China  ten 
earnest,  Christian  physicians. 

Bishop  J.  W.  Bashford  writes:  “Medical 
missionary  work  affords  a unique  opportunity  at 
the  present  time  for  reaching  all  classes  of  so- 
ciety; it  also  links  Christianity  with  the  best  that 
Western  science  has  to  offer  and  thus  gives  it 
prestige  among  the  Chinese.  So  thoroughly  are 
the  higher  class  Chinese  coming  to  recognize  the 
value  of  medical  work  that  at  some  cities,  such 
as  Antau  and  Nanchang,  they  are  offering  to 
build  hospitals  for  our  church,  if  we  will  supply 
the  physicians.  Here  is  a splendid  opportunity 
to  do  the  Master’s  work  in  China  today.” 


1906  Statistics  of  Hospitals  in  Cb:na  under  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


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This  is  but  a partial  report  from  ten  hospitals.  It  is  difficult  to  gather  data  from  such  distant  fields. 


